From
CUFOS, Center for UFO Studies:
The
Center for UFO Studies was started by Dr. J. Allen Hynek,
who was a professor of astronomy at Ohio State University,
and later, chairman of the astronomy department at Northwestern
University. During the 1950s and 1960s, he served as the
astronomical consultant to the United States Air Force's
Project Blue Book. Essentially, his responsibility was
to determine whether there was an astronomical explanation
for a UFO sighting. Professor Hynek would study a UFO
report and decide if its description of the UFO suggested
a known astronomical object. That is, did the witness
see the planet Venus or a meteor instead of a genuine
UFO?
At
first, Dr. Hynek was skeptical of the whole UFO business,
but after examining hundreds of UFO reports by credible
witnesses, he became convinced UFOs were worthy of serious
study. With the closing of Project Blue Book in 1969,
he began to seriously consider forming a private, scientific
UFO organization composed of scientists and other highly-trained
technical experts, who would work together to solve the
UFO enigma. In 1972, Hynek published his classic book,
The UFO Experience: A Scientific Study, in which he presented
his categories for grouping UFO sightings and coined the
phrase, "Close Encounters." In 1973, he started
the Center for UFO Studies and served as its scientific
director until his death in 1986. Before he died, Dr.
Hynek appointed Mark Rodeghier to succeed him as scientific
director. The Center for UFO Studies continues to honor
Hynek's legacy through its serious study and examination
of the UFO phenomenon.
Source:
http://www.ufoevidence.org/Researchers/Detail2.htm